Symbol of a certain American success and the influence of Uncle Sam on tech, GAFAM also worries the United States. American justice is closely monitoring the bulimia of these giants and their propensity to expand ever more, to the point of opening the door to dismantling. The subject is not completely new and complaints are multiplying against Facebook (Meta) or even Google (Alphabet), with the support of many States. The Wall Street Journal confirms again today that American antitrust authorities are seriously considering dismantling Google. Such a decision would cause an unprecedented earthquake in the United States, where the authorities have not caused a forced split for 40 years.
The thirty-page document sent to Washington federal judge Amit Mehta, the Department of Justice (DOJ) mentions possible “structural” changes within the Mountain View firm. For specialists on the subject, there is no doubt that the authorities are leaning towards a split of the search giant into several entities. Concretely, the American government is raising the idea of preventing Google from using its Chrome browser, its Android mobile operating system or even its application store (Google Play Store) to benefit its search engine. For several years, Google has been accused in the United States and in Europe of anti-competitive practices in the management and promotion of Google Search.
Important issues
In September, the StatCounter site indicated that Google accounted for 90% of the global online search market and even 94% for smartphones. The Mountain View firm was notably able to establish its dominance by signing agreements with smartphone manufacturers and web browser publishers.
The possibility of breaking up Google or requiring sweeping changes could mark a turning point in the enforcement of US antitrust laws. Regulators have in fact been rather lenient with the tech giants since the failure to dismantle Microsoft a little over twenty years ago. At the beginning of the 2000s, the omnipotence of Windows and Bill Gates’ group had already pushed the American justice system to discuss dismantling. A possible measure of this type against Google would be a historic decision, the last forced split being that of the operator AT&T in 1982.
Google responds and doesn’t give up
The Google case is major and the Mountain View firm reacted quickly. The company published a press release on its site in which it defends its point of view. “Splitting Chrome and Android would destroy them and many other things”assures Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice-president of regulatory affairs at Google. She says “radical” proposals from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) “risk harming consumers, businesses and developers”.
Google assures that splitting Chrome or Android could “break and harm many other products”. The firm also cites a risk for privacy and security, as well as the risk of “slowing down American innovation at a critical moment” by limiting its AI tools. A rather logical response from Google which puts pressure on American justice. The web giant can still hope for a less severe decision.
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